Went to Bangalore for a couple of weeks in April 1981. My only regret is my next likely trip to India will be northern-centric.
Its fulcrum is Chennai, not Bangalore, but I’ve always enjoyed Nancy Gandhi’s Under the Fire Star.
Try to let go of your fear, Kevin. You’re going to have a blast there. And once you’ve done India, you can start working your way through the rest of the “I” countries!